The present invention relates to changer-type disc playing devices where plural discs are set on a rotary table for automatic successive playing or reproduction of the discs, and more particularly to a carrousel-changer-type disc playing device which allows all of plural discs set on a rotary table to be simultaneously replaced with others.
CD (Compact Disc) changers which have plural CD's loaded therein and automatically play the loaded CD's in succession have been becoming the mainstream of today's CD players. Among typical examples of such CD changers is the so-called carrousel type which is designed to successively play plural discs set on a rotary table mounted on a transfer tray.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the conventional carrousel-type CD changer which, during playing of one CD, can eject the tray to provide access thereto by the user for replacement of one or more discs. The transfer tray 26 is movable in directions denoted by arrow A between a retracted position where the tray 26 is fully received within a body 28 of the device and a predetermined ejected position where the tray 26 projects out of the body 28. A rotary table 30 is mounted on the transfer tray 26 in such a manner that it can rotate in directions denoted by arrow B. In the rotary table 30, there are formed plural (five in the illustrated example) disc holding portions 34 which hold a corresponding number of discs (CD's) 1 equidistantly around the center or axis of rotation 32. Each of the disc holding portions 34 includes a larger or outer round recess 34a for holding therein a 12 cm CD and a smaller or inner round recess 34b for holding therein an 8 cm CD. Further, each of the disc holding portions 34 has a groove 36 that extends to open radially outwardly of the rotary table 30 in such a manner that a playing unit 28 contained in the body 28 is inserted therein for playing a disc. A rear end opening 38 is formed centrally in the rear end portion of the transfer tray 26 so that it communicates with the groove 36 of the disc holding portion 34A situated in a predetermined disc playing position in alignment with the playing unit 29. This allows the tray 26 to be moved to the ejected position even during playing of a disc by the playing unit 29.
A holder 42 holding a spindle motor 70 and an optical head constituting the playing unit 29 is supported centrally on the rear end portion of a mechanical base or chasis 40 within the body 28, in such a manner that the holder 42 can pivotally move, in vertically directions denoted by arrow C, below the transfer tray 26 about a pivot axis 44. Further, a disc clamper 46 is fixedly mounted on the chasis 40 above the transfer table 26 in opposed relation to a turntable of the playing unit 29.
As the holder 42 is pivoted upwardly when the transfer tray 26 is in the retracted position within the body 28, the spindle motor 70 and optical pickup are moved upwardly to be inserted into the groove 36 of one of the disc holding portions 34A that is in the disc playing position in alignment with the playing unit 29 (for convenience of description, this will also be referred to as an "aligned disc holding portion 34A"). Thus, the disc 1 is pulled from the aligned disc holding portion 34A to be placed on the turntable on the top of the spindle motor 70, and then the disc 1 is clamped by the disc clamper 46. In this clamped state, the disc 1 can be played by the optical head. Once a disc ejecting instruction is given during the playing of the disc 1, the playing unit 29 is pulled horizontally out of the groove 36 of the aligned disc holding portion 34A and opening 38 of the transfer tray 26, so that the transfer tray 26 can be moved out of the body 28 into the ejected position for replacement of one or more desired discs even while the playing unit 29 keeps playing the disc 1 loaded via the aligned holding portion 34A.
However, in the playing device as shown in FIG. 2 where the disc holding portion 34A holding a disc to be played is positioned centrally along the width of the rear end portion of the transfer tray 26 for playing the disc, the tray 26 moved to the ejected position does not fully project (or is exposed) out of the body 28 with the most part of the aligned disc holding portion 34A left within the body 28. Consequently, it is not possible to conduct disc replacement for the aligned disc holding portion 34A. Where disc replacement is to be conducted for any other disc holding portion 34 than that aligned disc holding portion 34A during playing of the disc loaded via the holding portion 34A, the desired disc replacement could be conducted very conveniently because this arrangement effectively prevents a new disc from being set in the aligned disc holding portion 34A during playing of the disc (should a new disc be set in the portion 34A, the disc being currently played by the playing unit 29 can not be returned to the holding portion 34A). But, in the prior disc playing device of the type as shown in FIG. 2, even where disc replacement is to be conducted while no disc is being played (i.e., where no disc is loaded in the playing unit 29 and hence disc replacement may be conducted for the aligned disc holding portion 34A as well), the most part of the holding portion 34A are left within the body 28, which makes it impossible to access the holding portion 34A for desired disc replacement.
Therefore, when disc replacement is to be conducted for the aligned holding portion 34A, it is necessary to first move the transfer tray 26 to the ejected position and then activate a "disc skipping key" to rotate the rotary table until the aligned holding portion 34A comes to a position where free access to the portion 34A is obtained. Thus, in the prior disc playing device, it was never possible to simultaneously conduct disc replacement for all the disc holding portions 34 of the rotary table 30.